Prince by J COUBZ is a synth-wave banger that uses an evolving melody and rhythm to capture the feeling of being enthralled by a city at night. They mentioned that the track was inspired by late-night drives in their father’s car and the feeling they would get seeing the towering buildings lit up with tiny apartment lights.
The track does an excellent job of capturing this feeling of discovering a cityscape at night. The song begins with this bouncy, retro synth that immediately establishes a neon-soaked vibe that reminds me a little of Hotline Miami’s soundtrack. The song then begins layering synth melodies, creating these waves of sound that keep washing over the composition. To me, these layers feel tonally connected to the evolving architecture of a city at night. Each new layer feels like turning a corner and seeing another huge illuminated silhouette in the distance. The track’s scope expands as the city does.
The drums communicate a marching pace that keeps the energy high but still within a strict rhythm. They provide structure to the ever-changing melody. Later, when counter rhythms come into play, they work brilliantly with the original pace. The two bounce off each other and provide a nice contrast.
As the second half of the track begins at the two-minute mark, the melody expands further, showing us whole new districts of this auditory mega city. I love the use of the higher register and shiny timbre in this section. They provide a more ethereal energy to the track, showing off the diversity within the composition, without feeling disconnected from the track's original vibe.
Later in the song, hearing the original melody alongside the new one was incredibly cathartic. It shows how much J COUBZ has considered the details of the production on Prince and elevates the track to a new level.
Despite the different musical elements introduced and evolved as the track goes, J COUBZ builds a cohesive sound that comes full circle at the end. That kind of artistic forethought and control over their composition is impressive and worth commending. I’m excited to see what they do next.
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